Nonprofit Survey: Impact of State Budget Cuts

State Budget BackgroundOn November 17, the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) released the list of holdbacks for FY18 to meet $181.6 million in unallocated savings targets in FY18 set forth in the adopted budget. Additionally, on November 20, in their monthly letter to the Comptroller, OPM projected the budget deficit to be $202 million. This deficit projection assumes the reductions made by OPM on November 17. Governor Malloy retains his 5% rescission authority and if the Comptroller confirms this projection on December 1, it will trigger a deficit mitigation plan.

Why a survey?As more budget cuts loom, we need your help to prevent further harm to nonprofits. Please take a moment to fill out a brief survey about (1) the impact of budget cuts since July 1 and (2) how further cuts will negatively affect nonprofits and the people you serve. The information you provide is critical to The Alliance's advocacy as we work to put budget cuts to nonprofits into context and reshape conversations with the media and negotiations with policymakers. We will keep the information you provide confidential.

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1.Since July 1, which of the following changes have you been forced to make due to budget cuts or financial difficulties:

Lay off staff

Reduce staff hours

Freeze/reduce salaries

Eliminate programs

Reduce service hours

Stop accepting new clients

Explore a merger/collaboration

Take out a line of credit

Tap into reserve funds

Budget reductions have had no impact on my organization

Other (please specify)

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2.If you answered "lay off staf"f in Q1, how many staff have you been forced to lay off since July 1 and how has this impacted your ability to serve clients?

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3.If you answered "eliminate programs" or "reduce service hours" in Q1, which programs have you eliminated/reduced and how has this negatively impacted the people you serve?

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4.Please estimate by how much demand for your organization's core services increased over the past 5 years:

Less than 5%

5% - 10%

10%-15%

More than 15%

Demand for services has not increased

Comment:

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5.How would you plan for an additional 5% budget reduction to your organization? Check all that apply:

Lay off staff

Reduce staff hours

Restructure employee benefits

Freeze/reduce salaries

Eliminate programs

Reduce service hours

Stop accepting new clients

Explore a merger/collaboration

Take out a line of credit

Tap into reserve funds

We don’t anticipate having to make any changes if there are further budget cuts

Comment:

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6.If you answered "reduce service hours," “stop accepting new clients,” or "eliminate programs" in question Q5, what types of services/programs would be impacted and how will the changes affect the people you serve?

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7.If you answered "lay off staff", "reduce staff hours", "restructure employee benefits", or "freeze/reduce salaries" in Q5, explain how these staffing changes would have a negative impact on the people you serve and your community.

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8.Name

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9.Email

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10.Organization

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11.What types of services does your organization provide?

Adult Behavioral Health

Children’s Services

Community Justice

Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities

Arts & Culture

Association/Member Organization

Other (please specify)

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12.How many people does your organization serve a year?

1-50

50-100

100-200

200-300

More than 300

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13.How many people does your organization employ?

1-25

25-50

50-100

100-150

More than 150

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14.Are you willing to testify before the legislature or speak with members of the press about the impact of budget cuts?